Shembe | |
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Born | Shembe Mudliwamafa Mloyiswa April 3, 1865 Ntabamhlophe (Estcourt Area), South Africa |
Died | May 2, 1935 KwaZulu Natal | (aged 70)
Education | No Formal Education |
Occupation | Leader of the Nazareth Baptist Church |
Known for | Founder of the Nazareth Baptist church |
Title | INkosi yaseKuphakameni |
Term | 1910 - 1935 |
Predecessor | None |
Successor | Johannes Galilee Shembe |
Partner(s) | MaShabalala, MaSigasa, MaNgwenya, MaRadebe |
Children | Johannes Galilee Shembe (1904-1976), Amos Kula Shembe (1906-1995) |
Parent(s) | Sitheya Hadebe and Mayekisa Khumalo |
Isaiah Mloyiswa Mdliwamafa Shembe (c. 1865[1][2] – 2 May 1935), was a prophet and the founder of the Ibandla lamaNazaretha, South Africa, which was the largest African-initiated church in Africa during his lifetime.[3] Shembe started his religious career as an itinerant evangelist and faith healer in 1910. Within ten years, he had built up a large following in Natal with dozens of congregations across the province. To date, there is a rapid emergence of organized congregations and seminary events (held within Shembe temples) across the nine provinces of South Africa.